U.S. Air Force C-141B Starlifters line up for take off from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., during Big Drop III on May 9, 1996. The aircraft will transport equipment and paratroopers to drop zones near Pope Air Force Base, N.C. The largest air drop since World War II, Big Drop III involves 144 aircraft and is part of the larger Combined Joint Task Force Exercise `96. More than 53,000 military service members from the United States and the United Kingdom are participating in Combined Joint Task Force Exercise '96 on military installations in the Southeastern United States and in waters along the Eastern seaboard.